I occasionally say, when talking about my parents to friends, that my mother and father are the longest married, incompatible couple I know. It’s really a flippant way to boast about the example they are to all of us – of survival in the face of hardships and problems, of loyalty to family, of respect for individual needs and drives, of unconditional love for children and grandchildren at every stage of our lives. They are the rock upon which all of us can build enduring values.